Religious expression bill rejected by House panelLITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas House committee has again rejected a proposal to support religious expression in a student's coursework or attire. Opponents have said the bill is unnecessary and unconstitutional. The House Education Committee in a voice vote Tuesday did not advance a bill to bar school districts from discriminating against a student or parent on the basis of religion. Republican Rep. Justin Harris of West Fork says his bill is ...

Church briefs (March 20, 2015)Fish Fry at Scottsville Assembly tonight Scottsville Assembly will host a fish fry from 5:30-7:30 p.m. tonight at the church fellowship hall. The menu includes catfish, French fries, baked beans, coleslaw, hush puppies and dessert. Proceeds will help the church purchase equipment for outdoor services. Pastor Humphrey invites everyone out. For more information, call (479) 331-3206. Ola UMC Tuesday Friends The Ola United Methodist Church will ho...

Will sin go unpunished?Perhaps we would be well served by personalizing that question right out of the gate: will the sin of any man, woman, and child — including each person reading this — go unpunished? The Bible teaches that God created us humans good and in his image, but after some time Adam and Eve rebelled against God. They committed high treason against the God of heaven and earth. From that point on there was no turning back for them and their descendants. ...

Christ in the PassoverJesus’ Last Supper was actually a Jewish Passover. Lisa J. Smolowitz of Jews for Jesus will re-create the traditional Passover service and explain how it foreshadowed Jesus’ death and resurrection in a presentation called “Christ in the Passover” at Christian & Missionary Alliance Church of Russellville at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 22. Lisa J. Smolowitz will set a table with items traditionally used at the Passover meal and detail their spiritu...

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Brian Heinen / The Christian and Missionary Alliance Church of RussellvilleThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

How is our prayer life?Is our prayer life pleasing to God? In Psalm 55:17 it says, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” Have you ever fallen asleep during your bedtime prayer? I have many times and that is why I do most of my praying early in the morning. I always get up early and that is when I read my bible, my devotionals and say most of my prayers before anything can interrupt me. I like to start my day bei...

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Barbara Ann Freeman TownsendThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Touching JesusThis story in Luke 11:41-48 has a great meaning and shows the difference between touching Jesus and pressing in or just getting in the vicinity of Jesus. The last part of verse 41 says the people were pressing in, to the point of suffocating Him and it goes on to say in verses 42 and 43 that “a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for 12 years and had spent all her living upon physicians, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behin...

Church briefs (March 13, 2015)Food on the Mount set for Saturday Food on the Mount will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday at the Mount George Church of Christ. Those who are in need of food or know someone who is are welcome to attend. The church is located at the intersection of State Highways 28 and 154. Gateway Pentecostal to host Crusaders The Crusaders Ministries of Magnolia will be host a three-day Prophecy and Healing Conference at the Gateway Pentecostal Church of God in...

Great Passion Play CEO says anti-discrimination law is badEUREKA SPRINGS (AP) — The CEO of The Great Passion Play in northwest Arkansas says an anti-discrimination law in Eureka Springs is bad and should be repealed. The law to protect gay and transgender people from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations was passed Feb. 9 after being added to the City Council agenda after the meeting started. Randall Christy, chief executive of the play which depicts the final week of the li...

Buddhist priest dies in fire at Fort Smith templeFORT SMITH (AP) — A Buddhist priest has died in a fire that destroyed a Fort Smith temple. Souphonh Inthalanqsinh (soo-PAHN' in-thah-LAHK'-shin), 68, died in the fire that destroyed the Wat Lao Buddharam (waht low bood-hah-RAHM') temple around midnight Thursday. According to Fire Marshall Ronnie Rogers, the priest was found on the floor of a bedroom. The temple's spokesman said that the priest had been assigned to the temple since it was built...

Church briefs (March 6, 2015)World Day of Prayer today The World Day of Prayer is scheduled for today at First United Methodist Church in the fellowship hall. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m., and the program begins at 10. The event “Jesus said do you understand what I have done for you” is sponsored by Christian Women United. Inside Yard Sale at Encouraging Word An Inside Yard Sale will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at Encouraging Word Ministries in Dov...

Find positives while at workA recent study found that 70 percent of American employees feel disengaged at work — that is, they do not find their tasks fulfilling. This seems to be especially true concerning what the article describes as disenchanted millenials, often persons who were led to think it would be otherwise. Those with college or postgraduate degrees are more inclined to feel disengaged than persons lacking such. Since it seems to them that their work does not...

Where does our sinful nature come from?By nature, we cannot fulfill the demands of God’s law perfectly. That’s probably not news to most of us. Everyday life has a way of reminding us that we by nature do not and cannot love God with all our heart, soul and mind, nor do we love our neighbors as ourselves. Indeed, we have a natural tendency to hate God and our neighbor. The big question now is how we got this way. It’s a foundational question, a critical part of every philosophy and...

Church briefs (Feb. 27, 2015)Singing at Old Country Church tonight The Old Country Church north of Atkins will host a singing at 6 p.m. tonight. Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, call Jaime Heflin at (479) 280-0396. Gravel Hill to host Ladies Day Saturday Gravel Hill Church of Christ will host Ladies Day on Saturday. The event will begin at 10 a.m., and lunch will be provided. Betty Choate, a longtime missionary, will be the speaker. She will have a boo...

Alliance providing winter relief to refugees in the Middle EastCOLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Christian and Missionary Alliance (The Alliance) churches and personnel are responding with urgency to the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. Winter’s bitter temperatures have increased the misery of millions displaced by the ongoing Syrian civil war and Islamic State (ISIS) combatants’ brutal march across Iraq and Syria. ISIS horrors have forced 1.4 million Iraqis to flee to a mountainous region that i...

The gift of potentialOur nation has just celebrated the legacy of a man who recognized that a person’s character is more important than the color of his skin and that all men and women have within themselves potential that could change destinies, regardless of ethnicity, social standing or heredity. What if Dr. King had first never realized his potential, or worse realized it, but because of fear never developed it? Fear of public opinion causes many people to bur...

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Pastor William Flynn / Grace Chapel Pentecostal ChurchThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Church briefs (Feb. 20, 2015)Singing at Gospel Lighthouse postponed The gospel singing and potluck originally scheduled for this evening at Gospel Lighthouse Pentecostal Church of God has been postponed due to winter weather. The event has been rescheduled for Friday, March 20. For more information, call (479) 747-3744. Slaty Crossing Free Will Baptist revival The Slaty Crossing Free Will Baptist Church will be in revival Monday through Wednesday. Bro. Jamie Burris, the c...

What does God’s law require?Last time we noted that a person comes to recognize sin from the law of God. God’s law — God’s Word, the Bible — shows us our sin and misery. That raises another question: what does God’s law require? More specifically, what does God’s law require of us? Jesus Christ gave this summary of God’s law in Matthew 22: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first comm...

Let God’s children praise HimIf we are a child of God, then we have a lot to thank Him for and praise Him for. I know I can never thank Him or praise Him enough for what he has done for me all through my life. Most of all, though, I want to thank Him and praise Him for his gift of salvation — he sent his only begotten son to be tortured and to die on a cross for my sins. For without Him dying for my sins, I would have no hope of eternal life with God and Jesus Christ afte...

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Barbara Ann Freeman TownsendThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Church briefs (Feb. 13, 2015)Arkansas River Valley Singing Convention The Arkansas River Valley Singing Convention will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the First Freewill Baptist Church in Atkins. A potluck lunch will be served. For more information, call (501) 662-4535. Mt. Vernon WAC Snap Jewelry Party The Mt. Vernon WAC (Women Active for Christ) will host a Snap Jewelry Party from 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, March 7. Ts Beads, Inc. and Boutique will be at the Matthew Center ...

How does a person come to recognize sin?We noted last week that a person must know three things to live and die in the joy of belonging to Jesus Christ. According to one of the Protestant Reformers, the first of these is “how great my sin and misery are.” That said, how does a person come to recognize his or her sin and misery? In fact, what do those words even mean? That’s hard to know because of how our society has played Humpty Dumpty with the word “sin.” Everyone has heard of Le...